War Machine Has A New Name In Captain America: Civil War

Don Cheadle’s superhero name in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has gone through multiple changes over the years. When he first strapped on a suit inIron Man 2, we got to know him as War Machine. But thenIron Man 3gave him a red-white-and-blue paint job, renaming him Iron Patriot. But then, of course, inThe Avengers: Age of Ultronhe was back to being called War Machine. It seems that changing names has become James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes’ thing, as it’s been revealed that inCaptain America: Civil Warwe will get to know him as War Hammer.

This information comes courtesy ofTotal Film, which has a full spread aboutCaptain America: Civil Warin the new issue. In an annotated piece of concept art featuring members of Team Iron Man doing battle with Team Captain America, it’s noted that Rhodey has a new name as part of the Avengers lineup. The blurb doesn’t really reveal anything new about the character’s role in the film, but you can read it below:

Old Shellhead’s greatest ally, War Hammer (Don Cheadle) looks to get into a spot of bother in Civil War – the film’s trailer shows his pulverised body being cradled by a distraught Tony. Could this be the end of the line?

There is no War Hammer featured in Marvel Comics (unless you count Mjolinr), and it’s a bit strange that they would go with that name given the existence of the geeky tabletop wargame Warhammer 40,000. That being said, the name is a bit more PR friendly, so it’s understandable why he would change it after joining the Avengers.

It’s entirely possible – if not likely – that the new name is mostly meaningless, but the choice does generate some speculation in my mind. Specifically, the War Machine armor was initially upgraded by Tony Stark’s rival, JustinHammerofHammerIndustries. We haven’t seen that character, as played by Sam Rockwell, since theIron Man 3-themed One ShotAll Hail The King, but perhaps he could somehow reemerge inCaptain America: Civil War?

We don’t really know what to expect from Don Cheadle’s part inCaptain America: Civil War, though he could actually play a significant role given his relationship with the aforementioned Tony Stark (the movie’s prime antagonist). It may be a while before we getting any new info, given that the first trailer just dropped a few weeks ago, but we’re excited to find out more.